KOLKATA: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is planning to offer relief to owners of small plots by relaxing building rules so that they can construct homes without a sanctioned plan.
The move is aimed at stemming the mushrooming of illegal buildings across the city, some of which have come into focus in recent months, either because they have collapsed or tilted because they did not adhere to basic safety rules. Now, mayor Firhad Hakim wants the existing buildings rules to be revised so that small plot owners are encouraged to submit building plans and get them sanctioned by the civic authorities.
The relaxations will be given to those who possess plots of 350 sq ft to 2,100 sq ft. The incentive will be for only those who take the help of an architect or structural engineer and submit a detailed plan for the construction of buildings. The foundation of the building has to be done under supervision of a KMC-empanelled structural engineer.
A KMC buildings department official said the civic body will bring all colony and thika land under this special scheme. Depending on the response of the citizens, the facility will be extended to residents in other parts of the city. A draft is being prepared incorporating the proposed changes in building rules, which will soon be sent to the state municipal affairs department for necessary approval.
An official said: “Citizens, who are afraid of adhering to rules and don’t want to part with their land due to its small size, land in trouble as these buildings are constructed in the absence of a structural engineer’s watch. There is a possibility that promoters may take advantage of this by using inferior construction materials.”
“We want the small plot owners to come forward and take advantage of relaxations. After such plot owners submit their building plans, our inspectors will visit the site and, if need be, we will offer relaxations after making sure that the buildings that will come up won’t encroach on the adjacent buildings and create troubles for them,” said a KMC buildings department senior official.
Hakim has asked the KMC buildings department to offer relief to the owners of small land by relaxing building rules so that they can build homes after he got a call from a resident of Baghajatin during the interactive session ‘Talk to Mayor’, who was refused by the civic body’s building wing to construct a building because of his failure to adhere to the provision of keeping a mandatory open space after the construction of the building on a small chunk of land. Vidyasagar Colony in Baghajatin recently hit headlines after a G+ III building constructed illegally first tilted and then collapsed.
“Why should the owners of the small plots be barred from building homes because of a set of strict building rules? We need to offer some relaxations so that the owners of small plots can fulfil their dreams of having their own homes,” said Hakim.
